Textbook Analysis
Biology:
The Living Environment
10th grade
Timothy A. Bragg
LIT 507
Dr. Xiaoqin Sun-Irminger
Textbook Analysis Outline
I.
Analysis for Readability:
II.
Linguistic Levels:
III. Cultural Assumptions and Values:
IV.
Cognitive and Thought Process:
V.
Textual Features:
VI.
Conclusion:
VII. Works Cited:
For this analysis, I chose to analyze a Learning Environment
textbook.
The Living Environment has recently become the new
name for the Biology sciences New York State Regents
examinations.
In most high schools, students take Biology in
10th grade and I plan to base my responses to this text as if I
were analyzing for a 10th grade classroom.
I came across this
copy of the textbook in the S.U.N.Y. Oswego Teacher Resource
Center of the Penfield Library.
I chose it over the other texts
due to it being the most recent Biology text as well as it being
the only Biology text that supposedly focuses on the New York
State Living Environment Regents requirements.
Since I have
focused a majority of my biological studies on human anatomy and
body systems, I chose to obtain my text samples from chapter
thirty-eight (38), “Circulatory and Respiratory Systems”.
This text is published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston and was
printed in Austin, Texas.
Copyrighted in 2005, this textbook
has a large amount of contributing writers along with the two
primary authors.
-Primary authors:
George Johnson, Ph.D.
Peter Raven, Ph.D.
-Contributing writers:
Ann Bekebrede, general science
Mary Dylewski, general science
Frances Jenkins, general science
Matt T. Lee, Ph.D., general science
Robert Peter Letendre, general science, editor, and former
teacher
Annette Ratliff, general science
John A. Solorio, Multi-technology Lab Facilitator
Linda K Gaul, Ph.D., Epidermiologist
Erik Hahn, Naturalist
Kevin L. Moore, general science
JoAnne Morgan Mowczko, Ed.D, educational consultant
Tyson Yager, science instructor
-Inclusion Specialist:
Joan A. Solorio, special education director
I.
Analysis for Readability:
I utilized two different methods when I began to analyze the readability of this textbook.
Using both the Fry, and the Flesch-Kincaid formulas I will be able to make comparisons between
the two methods and develop an effective analysis of the appropriate level of the reading
material. For the Fry formula, I selected three sample passages and counted 100 words from
each of the selections. I then counted the number of sentences in each of the samples. Next, I
counted the total number of syllables from each 100-word passage and found the average
sentence length in relation to the amount of syllables on average. For the sake of time and
accuracy, I allowed Microsoft Word to verify my first calculations of the initial text sample and
allowed the software to handle the entirety of the subsequent samples.
First Sample:
Transport and Distribution
Regardless of your activities-whether you are
roller-blading, swimming, singing, reading, or
just sleeping-your body transports nutrients,
hormones, and gases, and it gets rid of wastes.
Two body systems play major roles in these
functions. The circulatory system, which
includes the cardiovascular and lymphatic
systems, transports these materials to different
parts of the body. The respiratory system
exchanges gases with the environment-it takes in oxygen, O2, and releases carbon dioxide, CO2.
The human cardiovascular system, shown in Figure 1, functions like a network of
highways. The cardiovascular system connects the muscles and organs of the body through an
extensive system of vessels that transport blood, a mixture of specialized cells and fluid.
Second Sample:
Capillaries
No cell in your body is more than a few diameters away from a capillary. At any moment, about
5 percent of your blood is in capillaries. In capillaries, gases, nutrients, hormones and other
molecules are transferred from blood to the
body’s cells. Carbon dioxide and other wastes
are transferred from the body’s cells to the
capillaries.
The extensive back-and-forth traffic in
the capillaries is possible because of two key
properties. Capillary walls are only one cell
thick, so gas and nutrient molecules easily pass
through their thin walls. Capillaries are also
very narrow, with an internal diameter of about 8 µm (0.003 in.)-a diameter only slightly larger
than the diameter of a red blood cell.
Third Sample:
Blood Cells and Cell Fragments
About 40 percent of the total volume of blood is cells and cell fragments that are suspended in
the plasma. There are three principal types of
cells in human blood: red blood cells, white
blood cells, and platelets.
Red blood cells
Most of the cells that make up blood are red
blood cells-cells that carry oxygen. Each
millimeter of human blood contains about 5
million red blood cells. Red blood cells are
also called erythrocytes (eh RIHTH roh
seyets).
Most of the interior of a red blood cell is packed with hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an
iron-containing protein that binds oxygen in the lungs and transports it to the tissues of the body.
Fourth Sample:
Monitoring the Cardiovascular System
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of
death among people in the United States.
Health professionals use several different
methods to monitor health of the circulatory
system.
Blood pressure: Doctors routinely measure patients’ blood pressure. Blood pressure is the
force exerted by blood as it moves through the blood vessels. Blood pressure readings provide
information about the conditions of the arteries.
Blood pressure is measured with a blood pressure cuff and gauge, shown in Figure 11.
Blood pressure is expressed in terms of millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and is usually reported
as the systolic pressure written over the diastolic pressure.
Scoring Reflections:
When I was first looking over the samples within the text I thought they seemed at or
below grade level. The spacing of the text is very generous and it gives readers the ability to
follow along with their fingers without losing their place as easily. I was hoping to find that the
textbook was a slightly lower reading level to allow for students who may be slightly lagging
behind in their reading level, but it seems that this text is near spot on for the 10th grade
readability.
II.
Linguistic Levels:
Utilizing the Flesch-Kincaid method of reading analysis, an average of 49.5 (10.23; just
over tenth grade readability) was the result after sampling four selections from chapter thirtyeight (38). I believe this number to be a bit higher than it should be due to the major vocabulary
terms of the chapter being those that have the greatest effect on the readability scores. I feel that
this text would still be good for students that might be lagging behind a year or two in their
reading as long as a teacher using this text makes sure to spend extra time on the vocabulary
before the students read the unit in the textbook.
Utilizing the Fry method of analysis, I found that the text samples were appropriate for readers
around the age of eighteen after averaging the four samples together. Again, I feel that these
averages were excessively high due to the new vocabulary present and less likely due to the
surrounding body of text. Students who have learning disabilities would likely have difficulty
understanding this text as well as those students whom are lagging behind in their reading level.
Without the aid of a good teacher providing supplemental materials to accompany the text, I
believe that this textbook would likely fail as a stand-alone content source. It would be in the
best interest of a teacher to not rely on this textbook without added time with core vocabulary or
supplemental lessons accompanying the content.
III.
Cultural Assumptions and Values:
There are several features within this textbook that point out that it has culturally relevant
aspects included within. Representations of multiple races are evident in the pictures discussing
people involved in sciences and societies that are discussed. The glossary includes terms in both
English and Spanish, which shows consideration for Hispanic, and Latin-American students,
which may still have minor difficulties with the language transition or prefer studying in their
first language. Overall, my feelings about this textbook are that it is a great racially and
culturally acceptable source of biological information without obviously relevant biases towards
a particular ethnicity. Values within the text seem to be oriented towards understanding the
material and furthering education within the sciences rather than any values, which may seem
reflective of any particular racial or ethnic set of values. The textbook seems to assume minimal
amounts of background knowledge except what may have been learned in previous science
courses and does not seem to assume any particular life experiences that are needed in order to
understand analogies that are represented within the text.
IV.
Cognitive and Thought Process:
As with a majority of textbooks, I feel that they are primarily aimed at visual learners. This
text, unfortunately, seems to follow that trend and has no acoustically relevant material such as
an accompanying CD-Rom for listening to the reading material’s content. It does, however,
contain several lab activities located within the reading which can be done to aid kinesthetically
apt students. I believe that the spatially and visually acute students have the largest advantage in
regards to the use of this textbook. Many of the diagrams included to accompany the text
readings give the reader additional ways to consider and digest the content.
It is also important to note that the vocabulary terms are not only bolded, but the core terms
are also highlighted and listed in the margins of each section. Ideas within the text are
thoroughly discussed, and often they are repeated when the concept is key to the understanding
of the entire chapter. If students take the time to work together and read aloud to meet the needs
of the acoustically apt students, I believe that the material can be utilized fully, and a large
majority of students will have a good grasp of the content within this textbook.
V.
Textual Features:
The scientific information is quite apparent and focus on the content material is not hidden
underneath excessive wordiness. The concepts are explored in sufficient detail without
overwhelming the students with excessive analogies or content that they will not likely be
responsible for. The selected content is relevant to students who will not be going on to further
science courses while it also gives a subtle introduction into the scientific field of Biology for
those who are interested in pursuing further study in this field. In approaching both of these
goals, learners of all types can be address within this single text as long as a teacher is willing to
draw the material from within it in order to present it in a way that all students can make the
information their own.
Biological systems and concepts are well defined within the text, and each chapter has
sample Regents examination questions which are especially important due to the New York State
Regents degree examination requirements. Diagrams used within the text are familiar to those
used within Regents exams and will help bring a certain familiarity to the examination the
students must take at the culmination of the school year. Narration of the concepts are simplified
in such a way that only the vocabulary itself has any sort of difficulty with small exceptions to
students with special needs that can be addressed in other ways outside of using a textbook. The
focused nature of the text allows teachers to focus on just the concepts within the text without
adding additional details that can and may overwhelm some students who are only taking the
class to meet the Regents requirement of their diploma. Thought provoking questions are also
proportionately scattered within the text to allow those students who are particularly interested in
the sciences to have a chance at expressing their scientific prowess.
VI.
Conclusion:
While I do not feel that this text would be the ideal stand-alone source for teaching high
school Living Environment, I do feel that in comparison to other textbooks I have used in the
past, this one would be the best one I have come across to date. Along with other resources, such
as a lecture, videos, and lab activities, this text could be a very helpful resource for students to
use for intrapersonal reflections and core material review. The methods I used to analyze this
book were all equally relevant in pointing out that this textbook, as do the many others analyzed
by these methods, do indeed have their shortcomings. However, the linguistic qualities, assumed
values and cultural assumptions, and the textual features were all analyzed to be a positive
influence on a Living Environment student. The only area that seemed to have glaring lacking
flaws were the acoustic and tactile drawbacks of using any textbook. If I were to use this
textbook, I would account for these flaws within my lessons and be sure to point out all of the
positive features that exist with the utilization of this text. Holt’s Living Environment text is a
great resource for teaching in this content area, and should be considered as the textbook of
choice for any teacher in a position to teach high school Living Environment.
Works Cited
Johnson, G., & Raven, P. (2005). Biology: The Living Environment (pp. 872-883). Austin: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston.